ESA is already working with the Port of San Francisco for environmental review on the planned cruise ship terminal at Pier 27, one of many piers that will undergo renovation as part of preparations for the America’s Cup in 2013.

City officials cited two reasons why they did not use the regular competitivecompetitive bidding procedure.

First, the tight time line before the America’s Cup is staged does not permit for the normal city process for competitive selection, city staffers said.

Second, the cruise ship terminal and America’s Cup event are interrelated so “it would be more efficient to retain ESA to perform both services to meet the accelerated (environmental review) schedule,” a staff report said.

The city said it expects to spend about $2.7 million to prepare an environmental review and get other permits for the America’s Cup. The city is supposed to be reimbursed for those costs by the San Francisco America’s Cup Organizing Committee. The SFACOC is a nonprofit comprised of business and political leaders that promises to raise enough money to cover the city’s expenses.

Preparing the city’s environmental review, required under the California Environmental Quality Act, is a high-profile, high-pressure job. The city wants to finish the study by October so that America’s Cup officials have enough time to build all the waterfront facilities they need for the competition.